Port Vale keeper Scott Brown says the Vale Park pitch is 'unacceptable' for League Two - and he feels sorry for groundsman Steve Speed.

The keeper says the pitch badly needs money spending on it because Speed is being left with an impossible job.

Brown highlighted the pitch when asked why he felt the Valiants' away record - with just two defeats in their last ten games - is so much better than a home record of just one win and three draws in the last 11 games.

Speaking after this afternoon's 1-0 defeat at home to Carlisle, he said the pitch is working against the Valiants, adding: I think everyone has seen what good football we can play away from home on better surfaces. That out there is not acceptable, it is unacceptable for a professional football club in League Two.

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"I feel for Speedy because he has had no money spent on it. But it is a very poor surface. To ask people to play football on it is very difficult and, like I say, I feel for Speedy because he has had no money spent on it all and it is difficult for him.

"But that is unacceptable for a League Two club, it is the worst in the league. The lads have got no confidence playing on it, you lose your footing.

"You have seen today, a bit of rain and it is lucky to be on. I don't think they would have started the game with puddles appearing. It is not Speedy's fault but some serious money needs to be spent on it because that is not acceptable for a professional football club."

Port Vale keeper Scott Brown

Vale have an old fashioned pitch from when the ground was built it 1950. That makes life much harder for Speed than for groundstaff at League Two rivals who have had new pitches installed, or had new pitches when their club moved to a new ground.

The groundsman also has no control over when, for example, home managers might want the grass left long, but Brown feels the issues with the pitch are more fundamental than that.

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As for today's game, the Valiants were reduced to ten men when Ricky Miller was sent off on 41 minutes, then conceded the only goal when Hallum Hope's cross was deflected home 11 minutes from time.

Brown said: "I thought we were comfortable with ten men, they didn't really create anything. They actually had more chances with 11 men. I thought we were comfortable and defended really well and limited them to a few chances.

Ricky Miller is sent off

"But that is the luck we are having at the minute. There was a double deflection on the cross and I think Gibbo has put it in his own net. But I think that is where we are at the moment.

"I don't know what it looked like from the side but I thought we were comfortable, defended really well and put our bodies on the line. It showed that everyone is working hard for the manager and we want to climb up the league."